Williams to challenge Sarno for mayor

Date: 2/11/2009

By G. Michael Dobbs

Managing Editor



SPRINGFIELD With the city facing challenges imposed by the national economic crisis, state-ordered budget cuts and a surprise school-busing deficit, one would wonder why anyone would want to run for mayor this year.

For long-time City Councilor Bud Williams, the issue is leadership and creating a vision for the city.

"I care about this city," Williams told Reminder Publications. "Taxpayers and citizens of Springfield deserve strong leadership and I think I can provide that leadership in these difficult times."

Quoting the influential Revolutionary War writer Thomas Paine, Williams added, "These are the times that test men's souls."

Williams believes that although Springfield's condition might appear to be "bleak," there will be "tremendous gain at the end of all this."

"These challenges are tremendous opportunities to move the city forward," he added.

Williams has been on the City Council for the past 16 years. He is retired from a 32-year career as a probation officer and explained that he wants to give something back to his hometown. Born in Springfield, Williams was one of 10 children and he said he understands the challenges faced by many residents in one of the poorest communities in the state. Growing up in the North End and Mason Square, Williams said he has experienced being on welfare, having holes in his shoes and being hungry.

The mayor in 2010 will face a new format and era in Springfield city government as the Finance Control Board will be gone and the City Council will be enlarged to include ward representation. Williams said he was excited at the prospect of being part of that change.

Although part of his motivation to run is to give back to the city, he admitted he hasn't been pleased with the performance of Mayor Domenic Sarno. He said there have been several key issues that have disturbed him.

At the top of the list is Sarno's reaction to the 9C midyear budget cuts. He charged that despite hearing about the proposed cuts since last October, Sarno hasn't prepared a plan to react to them.

"Now we're planning the plan. It's like fighting a war. You build up and you then go to war. We don't have the build-up. We're not prepared to go to war," he said.

Williams said he has been told there is the potential for more 9C cuts in May.

Williams was not impressed with a one-page spreadsheet released by Sarno on Tuesday as the first details of his administration's plan to react to the cuts.

As an example, Williams noted a 2.35 percent cut to the Police Department on the spreadsheet without an explanation if the decrease will be in manpower, overtime or civilian employees.

"We don't know," he said.

"It just seems to me that he [Sarno] doesn't want to communicate with this council as a whole. It's so secretive and that's no way to run a railroad. He's driving us off a cliff," he added.

If elected, Williams would reinstate a police commission to provide a check and balance to the activities of the Police Department. He filed an ordinance on Monday night to bring back the commission and replace the current civilian review board, which he said doesn't abide by the state's open meeting laws.

Williams cited the prolonged struggle to return a full-service library to Mason Square as another issue he has with the Sarno Administration. Williams supports eminent domain to take back the library building from the Urban League.

The departure of the middle class is also an issue for Williams. "We can't be a world class city without a middle class," he said.

He will be assembling a "middle class agenda" with elements that would help retain and attract the middle class to the city. One of those solutions would be to negotiate with the city's labor unions a return of residency requirements for city employees. He said that almost half of the city's fire fighters, police officers and teachers live outside the city.

As the chair of the School Committee, if elected, Williams would strive to have parents engaged with their children's education. He believes that if parents take an active role in education, the city will see improvement in test scores and a decrease in truancy. He would call on parents to do simple things such as reading to their children, bringing them to the library and the city's museums.

"Education is the equalizer," he said. Citing his own background, he added, "I can't take excuses. If we're going to be a world class city everyone has to step up to the plate."

Williams is not happy with how the School Department has responded to the $7.5 million school transportation deficit and wants to see an itemized list of the amounts of the overspending and their causes.

The city is not taking full advantage of its Internet infrastructure and Williams would bring business leaders and technology experts together to formulate a plan to better market the city to businesses.

Williams also charged that Sarno doesn't work well with the city's Statehouse delegation.

"There's a fracture [between the city and Boston]," he asserted.

Williams plans to make a formal announcement in March and noted that his campaign chest and Sarno's is almost equal in size, something he said "is a plus for me."